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Ahead of the World University Games, three Indian athletes hailing from Arunachal Pradesh were issued ‘stapled visas’ by the Chinese embassy. Protesting this move, India withdrew its entire Wushu team from the tournament, which got underway in Chengdu on Friday, July 28.
The three athletes in question are Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega, and Mepung Lamgu.
According to the Indian Express, an eight-member contingent (five athletes, a coach, and two support staff) were stopped from boarding a flight to China at the boarding gate just minutes before departure on Thursday midnight.
Coach Raghvendra Singh stated that the authorities told them they were just acting on the orders of the Indian government.
“We were stopped at the gate by immigration officials and CISF personnel. They did not give any reason and claimed they were merely acting on the government’s instructions,” Singh said.
According to the report, while all the athletes applied for visas on July 16, every except Wangsu, Tega, and Lamgu's visas were processed. When they resubmitted their applications on Tuesday, the Chinese embassy returned their passports with stapled visas on Wednesday.
The Indian government took the decision to withdraw the Wushu team from competing at the World University Games on Thursday.
Stapled visas and Arunachal Pradesh
China has issued ‘stapled visas’ to Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh several times in the past. It has affected athletes too, when Indians hailing from the North East state were denied visas to take part in the 2011 Asian Karate Championships and the 2011 Youth World Archery Championship.
This issue stems from India and China locking horns along the border in Arunachal Pradesh over territory.
Unlike conventional visas, ‘stapled visas’ are those that are stapled onto the passport as a separate document, instead of being stamped onto it. It is said to be a move used by China to state that they do not recognize India’s sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh.
With the Indian government pulling the Wushu team from the World University Games, questions have been raised over the participation of the country's athletes at the 2023 Asian Games, which gets underway in Hangzhou, China, on September 23, 2023.
However, according to Mint, the Indian government will not allow the ‘stapled visa’ issue to affect Indian athletes' participation in the Asian Games. The authorities have stated that they will work with the Chinese government to ensure all athletes are issued regular visas.
